Matching Family Halloween Costumes

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To match or not to match? That is the question. Every year as Halloween approaches, I start brainstorming costumes for myself and my family.

It has become sort of a tradition that we dress up together and coordinate our outfits.

costumes

Sometimes it seems like more work to do that, and sometimes I wonder if I am holding them back from something else they want to dress up as, but in the end, we wind up having matching family Halloween costumes.

(P. Sherman, Darla and Nemo, wagon as dentist’s aquarium)
(P. Sherman, Darla and Nemo, wagon as dentist’s aquarium)

I think I have a soft spot for the matching Halloween costumes, because let’s face it, my kids are not going to be little forever. There will be a time when matching costumes with mom and dad isn’t “cool.” They will want to go out on their own and make their own costumes, or even dress up with friends. This fact only encourages me to put the effort into coordinating our Halloween costumes even more.

(Young Ellie and Carl and old Carl and Ellie from Up, wagon as Carl and Ellie’s house)
(Young Ellie and Carl and old Carl and Ellie from Up, wagon as Carl and Ellie’s house)

We have gotten quite elaborate most years with our matching costumes, usually all characters from a certain movie. It has evolved into even decorating our wagon. It is something that my kids get excited about every year now, “How are we going to decorate the wagon this year, mom?!”

Then I get excited, too, even if it is just one more thing to add to my to-do list. But even our friends and family enjoy it now, and in the neighborhood we trick or treat in every year, many houses remember us and are excited to see what we come up with year after year.

(Buzz, Woody, Jessie and Bow Peep, wagon as the claw machine)
(Buzz, Woody, Jessie and Bow Peep, wagon as the claw machine)

When the year comes that they decide to become independent and dress up on their own or with friends, I will let them do that, too. As I mentioned earlier, they are only little once, so I don’t want to hold them back from something they really want to dress up as either. The year will come where they won’t want to trick or treat at all, and I will miss seeing them run around in their costumes. Or perhaps, I will have established a love of coordinating costumes in them and even when they are teenagers they will still want to do it! I can dream, right?

(Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf, wagon as sleigh pulled by Sven)

So, I will dress up with them and coordinate matching costumes for as long as they will let me. I will take the time to decorate the wagon each year if they want and scramble around trying to find all the pieces of costumes everyone needs for their character. Because when the last year comes that they want to dress up together, I won’t know at the time that it is the last year.

Now, whether you coordinate costumes or not, if you celebrate Halloween and let your kids trick or treat, we know it won’t last forever. So, enjoy these moments while you can, let them dress up even if the costume only lasts one season, let them have the candy and soak in the memories! Have a safe and fun Halloween this year!

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